Pets

Pets

As a unit of the National Park Service there are several regulations regarding pets that are enforced within Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park.

Fort Sumter Visitor Center at Liberty Square (340 Concord Street, Charleston)
Pets are not permitted within the Fort Sumter Visitor Center building; however they are permitted on the Liberty Square grounds and walking paths with a leash.

Fort Sumter
Pets are not permitted at Fort Sumter due to the high volume of visitors to this secluded island fort. Fort Sumter Tours does not permit pets on board vessels (see website for details).

Fort Moultrie (1214 Middle Street, Sullivan's Island)
Pets are not permitted within Fort Moultrie or the Fort Moultrie Visitor Center; however they are permitted along walking paths, trails, and grounds on the exterior of the fort with a leash.

Additional Policies:

Pets must be restrained on a leash no longer than 6 feet long and may not be left unattended.
Service dogs are allowed, as granted by law (see section below). Pet excrement must be picked up and disposed of properly.
Please be responsible and courteous of others when bringing any pets into the park.

Weather at Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park is hot and humid during the summer. Please do not plan to leave your pets in vehicles during hot weather. The internal temperature of a vehicle can soar to dangerous levels in a manner of minutes.

 

263rd Coastal Artillery soldier with dog wearing mail pouch, cir. 1943

NPS

Service Animals

Service animals, as defined by the ADA, are welcome to be at Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park.

Service animals are defined as dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. Examples of such work or tasks include guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling a wheelchair, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, reminding a person with mental illness to take prescribed medications, calming a person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack, or performing other duties. Service animals are working animals, not pets. The work or task a dog has been trained to provide must be directly related to the person’s disability.

Dogs whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support do not qualify as service animals under the ADA.

If you experience a working service animal while in the park, please be respectful to them and their owner. At Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park, our staff strives to foster an inclusive and welcoming environment. If you have questions about service animals at our park sites, please email [e-mail] so we may assist you.